FANS of the first Disney Tron film have had a long time to wait for the sequel. 28 years between movies is something of a record for Hollywood, but now – under the directorship of Joe Kosinski – Tron Legacy will be released in cinemas for a pre-Christmas treat.
However, to fully judge the impact and evolution of the Disney Tron franchise, it is worth putting into context just how much of an effect the first Tron film had. Not just in terms of its importance in the development of computer generated imagery (CGI) and the subsequent impact it had on a whole generation of viewers and filmmakers, but also recognising the visionary nature of the original production.
During the heady days of the 80s, most movies with a theme of computers and technology weren't overly optimistic. Ever since HAL (2001: A Space Odyssey) decided it would be more beneficial to destroy his human crew than be taken offline, through to leather-clad cyborgs roaming through the streets of Los Angeles (Bladerunner), the future looked somewhat bleak.
It seemed that Hollywood's take on computers was that they were eventually going to rise up and try to wipe us out.
The original Tron film offered an alternative, enlightening view and was blessed with an uncanny degree of foresight. Instead of computers wreaking chaos on humans and society, the real 'battle' took place digitally between the evil Master Control Program and the forces of good. These forces were marshalled by Tron, a computer program and the digital representation of software engineer Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Clu, the digital doppelganger of Kevin Flynn.
This is where the original Tron proved particularly visionary; two computer programs battling for control of a system is something that all computer users now encounter on an almost daily basis. On the one hand, we have a whole breed of computer viruses, adware, spyware, worms and more which constantly try to infect our computers, and opposing them is the anti-virus software that is now part and parcel of almost every computer system in the world.
It isn't just viruses in which the original Disney Tron film's prescience is so obviously manifested. The notion of having a 'digital alter-ego' – an avatar, we would call it – is now rather widespread. Many users of multi-player online games create characters for themselves that possess powers not dissimilar to those used by Clu, Tron or Sark in the first film. They too inhabit an entirely digital world of their own, which they can manipulate in a way that we, mere flesh and blood users, can only control through the medium of our mouse, joystick and keyboard.
If the notion of having a digital life separated from real life – yet somehow inextricably linked to it by a computer – seemed innovative in 1982, then it is commonplace today. The proliferation and popularity of social networking sites means that having a representation of your life online, which was both original and unusual back in the early 80s, has become a reality for many in 2010.
It seems certain that Tron 2, or to use its official name, Tron: Legacy, will reflect this new enhanced role in society that our interaction with the online digital world has. The new movie welcomes back both Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, who reprise their roles as Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley.
The initial focus, though, is on Kevin's son Sam, played by Garrett Hedlund. He begins to search for his missing father, who disappeared mysteriously in 1989, after tracing a phone call back to Flynn's video games arcade.
Driving the story is some fantastic technology – not just in the stunning presentation of the digital world inhabited by Sam and Kevin, but also by how the digital world of Tron is depicted. The film is visually breathtaking in much the same way the first movie was back in 1982, but with a degree of depth and attention to detail that will truly delight fans. The decision to show the film in 3D or IMAX 3D will only further enhance the experience and truly immerse the viewer in the digital world of Tron.
Given that Tron: Legacy and the original Tron are so cinematographically striking, it is interesting to note that the computers first used to create these iconic images nearly three decades ago were so limited compared to today's CGI. Fans of the latest instalment can expect far greater attention to detail in the new film as the power of CGI has been taken to a whole new level in the intervening 28 years. Disney has pioneered these developments, and the results can be seen in the Toy Story franchise, The Incredibles and Up!
However, it is worth pausing to acknowledge the influence which Tron had in laying the foundation for future filmmakers to use CGI as a medium.
Award-winning director Joe Kosinski has used his $150 million budget wisely, assembling a strong cast which contains enough links with the first film while also keeping a freshness that will ensure that Tron: Legacy will appeal to a whole new generation of fans. The decision to ask French electro duo Daft Punk to produce the soundtrack should also further enhance the feel and ambience of the movie, as their synth-pop style has beautifully reflected the adventures of Kevin and Sam in their own digitised realm.
Another echo to the past is Tron: Legacy's accompanying video game. Tron Evolution is a particularly appropriate and well thought out piece of software, perhaps even worthy of the great software designer Kevin Flynn himself; it serves as a prequel to the events which happen in the second film.
Tron: Evolution will be available on multiple formats and continues the tradition of releasing a Tron game to coincide with the release of the film. This is yet another example of an innovation from the first movie that has now been adopted by mainstream Hollywood for almost all of its major releases since.
With a stellar cast, an award winning director, the incredible advances made in CGI, the support of a bespoke-designed multi-format game and 28 years of waiting, Tron: Legacy has a great weight of expectation behind it ahead of its release date. Yet, few would bet against this new film being as technologically brilliant, awe-inspiring, prophetic and enthralling as the first.
